Rating:
Genre: Rock
Release Date: 06/10/2008

Amidst the controversy that followed the conclusion of Eurovision's 2008 event, it was very easy to forget that this was, in fact, an excellent contest. True, Western commentators seething over the apparently political block-voting that saw Eastern European nations dominate might have had a point in past years. But, almost without exception, the Easterners did well because they had the better songs -- compare, if you will, the victorious Russian Dima Bilan's "Believe" with the United Kingdom's "Even If" (by Andy Abraham) and decide for yourself why some 25 places divided the two in the final standing. Elsewhere, Albanian Olta Boka (performing "Zemrën E Lamë Peng") and the Bosnia/Herzegovina entry, "Poku" by Laka, did well because they were intriguing songs rendered by exciting artists -- which is always going to earn more viewer sympathy than another bored-looking balladeer banging it out for France or Germany. Indeed, the Irish Republic may well have summed up their own interest in the event by dispatching a puppet turkey to represent them in the context, whereas Turkey unleashed Mor Ve Ötesi and wiped the floor with them. A total of 43 performances are spread over these two discs and, as usual with such collections, the quality does wander up and down the scale. But the good does outweigh the bad and, so long as you don't share the Western outrage about the final results, you'll be having a lot of fun with this one.

~Dave Thompson, All Music Guide

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Svante Stockselius - Author

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Release Date: 06/10/2008
Genre: rock